on the Hortus Malabaricus, Part IV. 173 



The elder Burman, on the authority of Comnieline's Flora Malaharica, joins 

 the Poerimll with the Saponaria arbor Zeylanica trifoUa, semine Lupini of 

 Herman ; but if Herman's specific character is not very bad, they must be 

 different, the one having folia ternata, and the other folia pinnata; yet we 

 can scarcely suppose Commeline to have been in such an error, and some of 

 the leaves in the plate of Rheede no doubt are represented as ternate. If this 

 circumstance, which is borrowed from an imperfect specimen, be admitted, 

 and if Herman's specific character be amended, the Conghas of the Ceylonese 

 may be the Poerimii ; but to this I shall again have occasion to revert. Bur- 

 man, although with doubt, quotes also as synonymous the Arbor prunifera, 

 sphcerulas saponarias ferens, tetraphylla, ex India Orientali of Plukenet {Aim. 

 47.; Phyt. t. 14. f. 6.), which, as well as the Poerimii, has pinnated leaves, but 

 so different in form, that I cannot think them the same ; and I shall afterwards 

 describe a plant, which perhaps is that of Plukenet, and totally different from 

 the Poerimii. In the Flora Zeylanica (603.) the Conghas was left by Linnaeus 

 among the Barbarce amiihilatce, which he could not attempt to arrange ; nor 

 does he quote for it the Poerinsii, deterred, probably, by observing that the 

 leaves, when perfect, were really pinnated. When, however, he published the 

 Species Plantarum, he joined the Conghas, that is, the Saponaria arbor Indica 

 trifolia of Herman, and the Saponaria arbor trifoUata semine Lupini of the 

 elder Burman, with the Poerinsii ; and the name Saponaria having been given 

 also to an herbaceous plant of the order of Caryophyllece, the Saponaria arbor 

 of old botanists was now called Sapindus, and the Poerinsii became Sapindus 

 trifoUata foliis ternatis {Burm. Ft. Ind. 91.), although its leaves, when perfect, 

 as may be seen in the figure, are pinnated. " Folia bina et bina sibi invicem 

 opposita tenerioribus surculis (petiolis) proveniunt." At the same time, Lin- 

 naeus and Burman {Fl. Ind. 91.) constituted another species of Sapindus called 

 Saponaria foliis impari — pinnatis, caule inermi, for which the only authority 

 is the Saponaria of Rumphius [Herb. Amb. ii. 134.) ; for the other authorities 

 quoted, Browne, Sloane, Commeline, and Plukenet, all refer to an American 

 plant, no doubt different from that of India, as any one may see by looking at 

 the figure in Plukenet (Phyt. t. 217- /■ 7)- Rumphius, in speaking of his 

 Saponaria, says, " Similis Saponaria arbor descripta quoque occurrit in Hort. 

 Malab. part. 4. fig. 19. nomine Poerinsii." This does not positively assert that 



2 A 2 



